


Under an umbrella ella ella ey ey ey under an umberella!

by knightinpinkunderwear



Series: Autumn OTP Challenge: Foxma [3]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bus, Fluff, M/M, Rain, bonding on the bus, chess club, nerds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-27 06:11:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16213091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightinpinkunderwear/pseuds/knightinpinkunderwear
Summary: Ed gets stuck at the only uncovered bus stop in the pouring rain.Day 3 Autumn OTP Challenge: Umbrella





	Under an umbrella ella ella ey ey ey under an umberella!

**Author's Note:**

> The lyrics were altered to create a humorous title. 
> 
> And yes, this is late.

 

 _Great_ , stuck at the only uncovered bus stop in Gotham when it started to pour pigs and cows. Well, not real pigs and cows, though honestly, Gotham was odd enough that he wasn’t sure he’d be surprised if it actually rained livestock. No, it was raining plain old, slightly acidic, water. And it was cold. His raincoat was hoodless and he was more occupied with trying to keep his new (well, newly bought second-hand) textbook tucked behind his clothes and safe from the downpour. Which left him with sopping hair and glasses so wet he could almost see better without them. _Gosh,_ it was cold. His teeth were starting to chatter noisily and he was shaking. Very, very _cold._ Then the downpour stopped, but it didn't stop. He wasn't getting any wetter but he could hear and see the water splashing down. He looked up. An umbrella.

“I hope you don't mind the intrusion of personal space, I just thought you might want to be a little less wet,” the holder of the umbrella spoke from behind him.

“Much appreciated,” he ducked his head in thanks, a few drops splashing from his hair. His glasses were a mess of droplets but everything he was wearing was already too soaked to help that. The bus arrived several shivering moments later. The generous umbrella holder sat a seat away from him, despite the abundance of empty seats. Not that Ed minded, he rather liked the comfort of another human presence nearby.

“Oh, here, for your glasses,” honestly, this man was like an angel among Gothamites. So thoughtful and kind to just some random stranger. Edward took the handkerchief (it was so soft) and dried his glasses off before handing it back and smiling his appreciation. Oh. He was very nice looking. Eyes that were so dark but impossibly warm, like chocolate ganache or hot fudge.

“Thank you,”

“It was no trouble,” the man offered kindly. Darn it. His smile was nice too.

Awkward silence. Well, Edward wasn't sure if it was awkward, but he felt awkward about it…

“Are you a Gotham U student?” oh thank goodness. Edward wasn't sure he would have lasted much more before blurting out a riddle.

“Yes?”

“Would you be interested in joining the chess club? We could use more members,” Chess. Yes. Chess was good, it let the brain practice strategy and read into the thought and planning process of others. And even better, Ed liked playing chess, he just didn't have the opportunity or people to play with all that often.

“That-Yes, I'd like to,” if only he were better at talking. If only he were better focussing on words instead of being distracted by how nice the kind man looked. If only he were better at understanding social cues. Was he looking too long or-?

“Wonderful!” Oh gosh, he sounded really nice too. “I'm Lucius,”

“From the Latin root ‘lux meaning light,”

“That is correct, I have to say most people just quote Harry Potter at me, or the guy in Incredibles,” Other than the name Lucius itself, there was no comparison between the Malfoy father and the kind man sitting by him. Nope. This Lucius seemed too kind and warm to be anything like that character. And Ed hadn't seen the Incredibles, so he hadn't enough evidence to draw any comparisons.

“I-” he swallowed, “I hope that's alright, I'm Edward.” Was his name analysis not welcome? He didn't know.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Edward” Oh. The entire meeting and conversation was going so pleasantly, much nicer and simpler than most interactions. Maybe Lucius was just easier to socialize with, or maybe he was just kind and patient and the only person so far that was willing to put up with Ed's ineptitude at the whole social thing.

“What are you studying?”

“Information technology and chemical engineering,” Lucius admitted, looking a little sheepish. His schedule must be hell. Both of those programs were very demanding.

“Sounds fun and interesting,” Ed offered. To his delight, Lucius smiled even brighter.

“It is! You'd never know how many things can be created from-” Lucius dove headfirst into a ramble on the fascinating properties of chemical engineering and the mathematical principles embedded into most code, and by means of that, into most solutions and constructions of software and code. It was fascinating. And really, Edward loved hearing the man ramble and ramble on about the interesting subjects that he enjoyed. Well, that and he was getting a free lesson from a nice looking and sounding man. Honestly, it was the best bus ride he'd ever had. Which was a good thing, as they both overshot their intended departure from the bus by about 38 minutes. And so far, the best social interaction Edward had ever had with another person. Lucius had even insisted on exchanging numbers.

That evening, the even more surprising thing, well, Lucius texted him. And they just texted back and forth long into the night. It was so easy to talk to him. And, it was so... pleasant. Hours flew by. By the time his eyelids started losing the battle against the tired droop hed felt happier than he could remember ever being. Somehow getting soaked at a bus stop led to a friend. A real friend. Well, maybe what he felt was a little bit more than platonic. Normally Edward was strongly against the idea of falling in love in a day, or developing any romantic interest in a person at such a rate. But he couldn't help himself, Lucius was, in all honesty, a dreamboat. Kind, incredibly smart, patient, and just so nice to be around. Ed fell asleep with a smile on his face, he dreamed of a handsome man offering him shelter from the rain, and maybe a kiss too.

 


End file.
